


there’s a fire within my soul

by theboilingrock



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Mamma Mia! Fusion, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Gay Zuko (Avatar), Getting Together, Idiots in Love, Lovers to enemies to lovers, M/M, Past Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Past Sokka/Yue (Avatar), and we can have some yueki and mailee as a treat, hopefully?, i just -clenches fist- have a lot of zukka feelings rn, kind of??, mamma mia au LETS GO, no beta we die like men, this week on: how niche can my fics possibly get?, wait is this enemies to lovers?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:20:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28140786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theboilingrock/pseuds/theboilingrock
Summary: But it was no use. The journal that Sokka had kept his first year away from home, that held all of his secrets and anguish and joy over that precious year, that told the story of the most painful and beautiful summer of Sokka’s life, gone.He stood up in panic, the sheets that Aang had wanted forgotten. He had to find that journal.Sokka leaves the Southern Water Tribe at eighteen years old, and falls in love—three times. There was Yue, the sweet girl from the North, Suki, the sharp tongued sailor, and Zuko, the beautiful boy from the Fire Nation who broke Sokka’s heart. Three years later, and Sokka is throwing his sister’s wedding at the hotel he owns. When Suki, Yue and Zuko show up, what will happen?
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Bato/Hakoda (Avatar), Minor or Background Relationship(s), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Suki/Yue (Avatar)
Comments: 24
Kudos: 91





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> strap in folks
> 
> title from “Mamma Mia” by ABBA (obligatory)
> 
> character list in end notes for anyone confused
> 
> 17/01/21: I’ve made a few edits throughout the chapters, nothing major with the plot but just to let anyone who’s already read the first three chapters know!

Sokka shielded his eyes from the bright early morning sun, squinting as he looked out at the horizon. The wind ruffled the long grass on the hill, and the waves crashed down on the rocky shore far below, and it was hard to hear much else. 

Sokka leaned forwards as he spotted something small and dark against the horizon, and his face grew into a smile as the shape drew near enough to tell it was distinctly bison-shaped. He waited, and as the bison approached, two figures came into view, leaning over the side of the saddle and waving wildly. Sokka grinned broadly, and waved back. 

Appa groaned as he settled on the grass of the sloping hill, and Katara immediately catapulted herself off of the side of the saddle, sprinting towards Sokka. She threw her arms around him, and Sokka felt the wind being knocked out of his lungs with a small _oomph._ Sokka held tight back. It had been way too long since they had seen each other.

There was only a warning gust of wind before the impact of another person hit them, and they all toppled over. 

“Sokka!” Aang yelled, and Sokka laughed. No matter how long they three of them were apart, Aang was always the same.

As if the situation couldn’t be more chaotic, there was a low rumble, and a chunk of earth suddenly pushed them all back up to standing. Sokka turned his head, surprised, catching sight of Toph with her hands on her hips and a disapproving expression on her face. That was normal for Toph though, she never was into big public displays of affection. 

“Alright, you pack of sappy idiots,” She said, pointing a finger threateningly at them. “We’ve got three more days to make this wedding perfect. So I don’t want any slacking on anyone’s part. _Especially_ the lovebirds.” 

“It’s good to see you too, Toph,” Aang laughed, walking over to her and slinging an arm around her shoulders. 

“Don’t think I’m suddenly going to go easy on you now that you’re all loved up, Twinkletoes,” She lifted her gaze to him, unimpressed. Even though her being blind kind of defeated the point, Sokka thought silently. Not that he would ever tell Toph that. “I’m still going to kick your ass in sparring.” Aang laughed, but Sokka thought he detected a note of nervousness in it this time.

”Hey, I forgot to tell you!” Aang said to her. “A guy we met in the Earth Kingdom showed me this new technique, you’ve gotta try it out. Come on, we need a space in the forest.”

And so the two of them started up the dusty wooded path, making their way to the hotel.

Sokka turned to Katara. “I guess we’re stuck with the bags, then.”

“I guess we are,” She sighed, turning to Appa, whose saddle held anything that she and Aang brought with them for the wedding that wasn’t already on the island. 

As Katara handed Sokka a decent sized basket filled with who-knew-what, he held a hand on her head, measuring her height. “Ha! I’m even taller than you now,” He said triumphantly.

Katara lifted her nose, picking up the large leather trunk from the saddle, patting Appa’s snout. “Impossible,” She said loftily, scratching Appa’s chin. “I don’t see any difference.” She marched off, and Sokka scrambled to catch up as they began the long trek up the hill to the hotel, Appa following behind them.

“Uh--yeah, there’s a difference,” Sokka said, jogging slightly to keep up. “Last time you were up to my nose, now you’re up to my chin.”

“I don’t remember that.”

“What? Of course you would say that! Aang--Aang, buddy, come here, remember last time--”

* * *

The entire of Kyoshi Island was decked out for the wedding, blues from the Water Tribes mixing with the yellows and oranges of the Air Nation. Banners were hanging from every ledge, tables were being dragged out of storage and set up, and small lanterns lined every path.

“--And this is where we’re gonna put the tables.” Sokka finished his tour of the hotel with a flourish. They’d ended up in the outside courtyard, where people were bustling around, setting up tables.

Aang was beaming. “It’s gonna be perfect, Sokka! This looks amazing.”

“Doesn’t it?” Toph agreed, her voice saccharine sweet. Aang turned to nod at her, before realising the joke, and sighing at her. 

“Are you sure that you’ve got the right number of tables?” Katara asked anxiously. “And don’t forget about ramps for Teo, and the lilies--”

“Katara.” Sokka cut over her. “Don’t stress yourself out.” He gestured an arm around at the courtyard. “We’ve basically finished three days in advance. It’s gonna be perfect, like Aang said. Besides, why do you think they call me the ‘plan guy’?”

“I don’t think anyone’s ever--” Toph began dubiously, but Aang elbowed her. 

“Come on,” Sokka said to Katara, jerking his head in the direction of one of the many buildings lining the perimeter of the cobbled courtyard. “If you’re that worried about not being involved, come and help me with the seating plan.”

Aang kissed Katara quickly on the cheek. “I’m gonna go see Teo. He said something about the gliders malfunctioning.” And with that, he was off, taking his own glider and soaring off to the cliff where the wedding hall sat. 

Toph jabbed her thumb over her shoulder, and Sokka assumed she was going to find someone to beat up—or spar, quote unquote. Haru had been Toph’s latest target, and Sokka couldn’t help but fear for his life.“See you guys later.”

And so Sokka and Katara went to find the seating chart, which was propped against the outside wall of one of the buildings, under the bright sun beating down on the stones. There was a card for each name on the guest list, in a set up that Sokka had painstakingly arranged. 

“Right,” Sokka said, lifting the board up, bringing it over to a table that Katara had perched on, and sitting at one of the chairs. “Tell me if there needs to be any changes.”

The seating plan had taken Sokka at least a week to finish. The tables were going to be arranged in a square, with a long top table having the bride and groom plus their immediate family and friends. They would be facing a U of smaller circular tables, each holding five or six people. The hard part hadn’t been the shape, though. The hard part had been making sure that all the people at the tables actually got along with each other. For example, Kanna--Sokka and Katara’s grandmother--had refused to sit next to Pakku, Katara’s first cranky waterbending teacher, who also happened to be the husband that she had run away from when she left the Northern Water Tribe. There weren’t any complaints there--Katara had only invited him to the wedding out of a feeling of obligation, she had despised him ever since he had first refused to teach her because she was a girl.

“The Swampbenders can’t sit next to the Northern Tribesman,” Katara remarked, shuffling a few cards around. “They’re too snobby.”

Sokka blinked. “Right.”

She moved a few other cards, so that Aunt Wu was next to Gran-Gran and Yugoda.

“I think that’s it,” Katara said brightly. Then she frowned, giving him a suspicious once over. “How are you so organised already?”

Sokka gave her a self satisfactory smile. “I guess I’m just more together than you think.”

“Yeah, okay,” Katara waved a dismissive hand. “But like, have you even been sleeping?”

“Of course I have,” Sokka said quickly.

“Oh, really?” Katara narrowed her eyes. “When was the last time you slept?”

Sokka paused for a moment, thinking. “Yesterday…?” He guessed. He could tell Katara was about to start reprimanding him, but at that moment, he was saved in the form of their Dad(s) appearing. 

Hakoda tapped Katara on the shoulder. 

“Not enough time to spare a hello to your poor wizened father?” Katara stood and turned quickly, catching sight of him. 

“Dad!” She threw her arms around him. Bato appeared over his shoulder. “Bato!” Katara stuck out an arm to pull him in too and Sokka watched them for a moment, his eyebrows raised. 

“Not that this isn’t touching, not you know we have a wedding to plan, right?” He said, and Katara detached herself, and rolled her eyes at him. 

“You seem to have the entire thing done already, _plan guy._ Hell, we could probably pull off the wedding now without a hitch.”

Sokka scoffed. “I’d like to see you try.” Though, the mention of the wedding being carried out so soon caused a jolt of fear in Sokka’s stomach. Ever since Katara had written to him with news of the engagement, Sokka couldn’t help but doubt whether she actually wanted to be married, much less whether she _should_ be married at twenty. Katara had assured him that she was completely sure of her choice, but Sokka couldn’t help but silently have his doubts. Still, he wasn’t about to sabotage the wedding because he wasn’t sure that they were ready. He was going to throw the best party for his little sister, and nothing was going to go wrong. 

“I remember our wedding,” Hakoda said, looking to Bato with a wistful smile. “It was complete chaos. But in the end, it doesn’t matter. Not as long as you have the person you love by your side.”

Sokka mimed gagging. “Gross.” 

Katara thwacked him on the arm. “One day you’ll understand, Sokka. Then we’ll all laugh as you try to keep your eyes off the poor sap that you marry.”

Sokka barked out a laugh. “You make me laugh sometimes.” He stood, mentally going through the checklist he’d made in his head. “I need to go check on things, see that Aang hasn’t destroyed anything yet.”

“Good idea,” Katara nodded seriously.

Sokka walked throughout the hotel, inspecting everyone’s progress, trying desperately not to micromanage anyone else’s jobs. He’d learned his lesson when all of the kitchen staff had gone on strike a few weeks ago, after Sokka had insisted on tasting every dish to check they were perfect. He still had a few chefs who wouldn’t talk to him after that.

He ran into Haru, while rearranging a bunch of flowers in the stairway. “Hey, have you seen Toph?” Haru asked. 

“About an hour ago. I’d watch out, she was saying that she’d beat you to a pulp in sparring.”

Haru nodded, a grim look of determination crossing his face. Then, he made a face, like he had just thought of something. “Hey, Aang was saying that he needed some sheets from the attic, do you mind going and getting them?”

Sokka snapped his fingers at him. “Sure. Good luck with sparring--you’re gonna need it.” He patted Haru’s shoulder, then took off.

And so Sokka went back through the courtyard, and into the hotel, up all the stairs and to the attic. The hotel building had been given to him by the old man who used to live in the manor, named Piandao. When Sokka had first come to Kyoshi at eighteen, Piandao had given him a job and a place to stay. After the drama of that summer, Sokka had thrown himself into work, eventually convincing Piandao to train him in sword fighting. And, a few years later when Piandao passed away from a sickness, Sokka discovered that he had left everything in his will to Sokka. Sokka then spent a year redoing the entire house, making it up into a hotel. And now, here it was, years of work that had paid off, hosting his sister’s wedding in his own hotel.

There was dust floating in the dark attic, highlighted by the beams of sunlight that squeezed through the cracks in the boarded up windows. It was warmer upstairs, and Sokka whistled to himself as he slid a basket of sheets out from a shelf, but he stopped as he noticed a box whose lid hadn’t been put on properly next to it. He frowned, and put down the basket on the floor next to him, pulling out that box. 

It was almost completely covered in a layer of dust, which Sokka brushed away, making him cough slightly. He knew immediately which box it was—but why had someone been going through it?

Heart thudding, he opened the box, and with it opened up a rush of memories that Sokka had tried desperately to bury. Three photos were at the top of the box: Sokka laughing with a red haired girl with deep black kohl smudged around her eyes, on a boat in the middle of the sea; Sokka smiling with a girl with a shock of white hair pulled back in a braid, in front of an old bakery; and Sokka with a boy with black hair and a faded red scar on his face, his lips pressed to the other boy’s cheek, the boy looking at him with a a soft smile. 

Sokka gently set the photos down, and looked through the rest of the box: a few old ink brushes with a half written letter, the words that were written smudged with drops of water; a dried pressed purple flower; and a frayed end of rope. That was all that was in the box. But surely that wasn’t right. Where was his journal? Sokka looked around frantically, then looked in the empty box again, shaking it upside down as if it would conjure something up. 

But it was no use. The journal that Sokka had kept his first year away from home, that held all of his secrets and anguish and joy over that precious year, that told the story of the most painful and beautiful summer of Sokka’s life, gone. 

He stood up in panic, the sheets that Aang had wanted forgotten. He had to find that journal. 

* * *

A young woman from the Water Tribes sprinted through the old Earth Kingdom town, her white hair flying behind her. The townspeople sitting in rocking chairs on front porches and watering their plants gave her odd looks as she ran past—who in this sleepy old town would ever need to get somewhere in a hurry? But she wasn’t from there. She was used to a world of sharply carved ice and tightly kept appointments. And she was extremely late for a boat she hoped to catch. 

The massive trunk she held was close to bursting, and one bump against the ground sent it spilling the contents all over the street. The girl cursed violently, and gathered all of the spilled clothes up, shoving them frantically into the case. Then she took off again, the harbour just within her reach. She could practically taste the sea, she was so close. The ferry was right up ahead, the old rickety pier stretching out to meet it. 

But then the trunk burst again, and she swore louder this time, forced to stop and gather all the clothes up, fumbling as she pushed them back in. When she tried to shut the trunk, the clasp would close, and she had to stand on it until she heard the tell-tale click of the clasp.

By the time she had finished, the ferry had already left the pier, the last horn long blown. Still, she ran to the edge of the pier, waving her hand as if to pull the boat back. But she was no waterbender, and the ferry carried on its merry journey, unbeknownst to the girl it left behind.

The girl let out a cry of frustration, throwing down her useless case and sitting on the pier. She had only just sat when another came up to the edge of the pier, gasping for breath. 

It was a boy, from the Fire Nation judging by his red clothes. He was out of breath, and had to put his hands on his knees and double over to recover, catching his breath. After a minute he straightened again, and looked to the girl, which was when she noticed the large red scar across one side of his face.

“That’s the last ferry, isn’t it,” He said it not as a question, but as a statement. 

The girl nodded despairingly. The boy sighed, then sat down on the pier next to the girl, seemingly giving up. 

“You were going to Kyoshi too?” The girl asked him after a moment. 

The boy nodded. “I was invited to a wedding there.”

The girl’s face brightened. “Me, too,” She said. “At least we can be late together.”

They sat in silence, both trying desperately to think of a way to get there on time.

Fortunately, an opportunity presented itself in the form of a red haired girl sat in the crow’s nest of the nearby sailboat. 

“Hey, city kids,” She called. The pair turned their heads. “You heading to Kyoshi?”

“Yes,” The girl called back. “Why?”

“Well, it just so happens that I’m headed over there right now. How about I give you two a ride—free of charge.”

The white haired girl stood. “Oh, would you?”

“Sure thing.” The girl beckoned them over, and hopped down from the crow’s nest onto the deck, and the two picked up their bags and walked over. They were about to board when the red haired girl held out a hand, blocking them.

“Hold up,” She said. “First things first. Names?”

“Yue,” The white haired girl offered.

“Zuko,” The boy said. 

The red haired girl nodded in satisfaction. “Alright. My name’s Suki, and I’ll be your captain on this fine evening. Welcome aboard.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright! that’s the end of the first chapter. i hope you enjoyed it— there will be more interactions of sokka with the three love interests later on, this first chapter is to set the story up.
> 
> a few notes:
> 
> 1) this is not set in canon, obviously. it’s more of a modern take on the atla world, and i’m thinking all of the nations will be some sort of democracy, the earth kingdom having an earth kingdom but also a prime minister. as for the fire nation, i think i’m going to have it as a democracy, maybe a council, because having a fire lord wouldn’t work in this AU.
> 
> 2) as this isn’t set in canon, there was no air nation genocide, so there will be air nation side characters. also there isn’t an avatar in this au, aang is just an airbender
> 
> 3) the ‘summer’ that is mentioned will be detailed later on
> 
> 4) in case anyone is confused on the roles that each character is, these are the loosely based ones i’m going for:
> 
> Sokka (21) - Donna  
> Zuko (22) - Sam  
> Suki (21) - Bill  
> Yue (22)- Harry
> 
> Katara (20)- Sophie  
> Aang (19) - Sky  
> Toph (19) - Tanya/Rosie
> 
> The rest of the characters are in their own box, as this is based off mamma mia, not an exact copy. 
> 
> 5) tags will be updated as the story progresses
> 
> leave a comment or kudos if you enjoyed! these motivate me to keep writing <3
> 
> thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some unexpected guests arrive at Kyoshi Island Hotel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> do you know how many times i’ve typed “goat-dog house”??

A sailboat docked on the shores of Kyoshi Island that evening, the sounds of bickering easily heard by anyone passing by. The bright orange sun was melting into the horizon, the pleasant scenery a stark contrast to the cacophony of noise.

“--Not swimming in the water, what do you think I am? Crazy?” A young man’s raspy voice echoed through the makeshift harbour.

“Come on, Zuko!” A girl’s teasing voice replied. “Loosen up, have a little fun.”

Suddenly, there was the sound of splashing water and a high pitched shriek, then they all fell into solemn silence. Then, a loud crash as a person was pushed into the water in retaliation. Another girl began to giggle, muffled behind her hand, and Suki pulled herself from the water and back on deck, dripping wet. “So you _can_ have fun!” She said triumphantly. 

Zuko scowled at her. He was sitting on the ships head, his suit jacket curled around him in such a way that resembled an ill tempered bat. He was about to argue back, before there was the sound of someone calling from the pier. The three turned, and spotted a girl in a blue dress waving at them. Suki looked at the other two, pushing her wet hair out of her eyes, and they shrugged at her, so she steered the boat over to the pier, the girl waiting until they were close enough to the pier to talk.

“Hey, we were invited to a wedding here? Do you know wh--” Suki was cut off as the girl shushed her frantically, beckoning them closer. Suki frowned, and Zuko hopped down from his perch on the ship’s head, and they all moved to step onto the boardwalk, Yue fidgeting with the ends of her sleeves. 

“Hi there. You’re here for the wedding, right? I’m sorry, but I don’t think we’ve ever met. You are...?” The girl in blue asked. 

Suki made a face. “I’m Suki, and these two freeloaders are Yue and Zuko. But what’s going on? Why are--” 

The girl cut her off again. “No time to waste. Get your things and follow me.” After taking their bags from the deck, they followed the girl up the hill, exchanging confused glances at her strange behaviour. What kind of set-up was this anyway? “My name’s Katara, by the way,” The girl in blue said over her shoulder. “I’m assuming you were invited by my brother--”

“Sokka,” The three of them said in unison, then all looked at each other in surprise. Katara nodded, smiling slightly. 

“We’re completely full at the hotel, I’m afraid, so you’re just going to have to make do with the old goat-dog house.” The path ended at the top of the hill and edge of the woods, leading up to golden gates that opened into the hotel courtyard. But Katara led them in the opposite direction, into the surrounding woods and to an old stone brick house, which was crumbling slightly at the edges. “In here,” She said, pushing open a set of large wooden doors, leading them up a ladder and through a trapdoor, to the second floor which was crowded with boxes and baskets. 

Now, Suki was no snob. She’d lived on a boat since she was fifteen, and considered herself to be pretty down to earth. But even _she_ could see that their accommodations were frankly ridiculous. But she pushed that thought aside, going for a positive attitude. If _she_ was dubious, she wondered what the other two were thinking. She saw Zuko inspecting the moth-eaten curtains.

Positive attitude. Right.

“So, when can we see Sokka?” Yue asked. 

Katara looked at them, a sheepish expression crossing her face. That was when Suki began to suspect something was very, very wrong. “Um...You can’t. At least, not until I tell him you’re here. Otherwise he might have some sort of nervous meltdown.”

“Wait,” Zuko said, his face paling. “You mean…”

Katara looked vaguely guilty. “Sokka didn’t send the invitations. I did. He doesn’t know you’re here.”

 _“What?”_ Zuko said sharply. “Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no. I have to get off this island. This is awful--”

“Calm down, pretty boy,” Suki said, turning to Katara again. “What do you mean, Sokka didn’t send the invitations? Why did you invite us? He’s not gonna want us to be here, especially if there’s a wedding going on. I haven’t spoken to him in years.”

“Just--hear me out,” Katara said. “I found Sokka’s journal from a few years ago when he met you guys—“ At that Suki frowned and looked at the other two. Yue blushed a little, and the little blood that was left in Zuko’s face seemed to drain from it. _Huh._ “—And ever since that summer he hasn’t branched out at _all,_ and I’m worried about him. I was just thinking, maybe if he finally got some closure with you guys, he would be able to move on with his life. Besides, weddings are full of love and happiness, no time for fighting or anything. So, what do you say?” She looked at them nervously.

They were silent for a moment, considering. Then, Suki began to laugh. “You know what? Sure. It’s not like I’ve got anything else to do. Besides, I came here to see him, might as well go through with it.” Katara’s face brightened, and they turned to face the others. Suki wondered how they were involved with Sokka. Had they just been friends, or something more? When she had met Sokka, they had had fun together on her boat, sailing around the island, but Sokka had been getting over someone, so they parted as friends. Still, Suki couldn’t help but wonder whether she and Sokka could ever be something more than the casual fling they had that summer. She had been attracted to him, but had she _loved_ him? She wasn’t sure. Either way, Suki would have to stay on Kyoshi to find out what would happen next.

Yue nodded. “I want to see Sokka again, too.”

Zuko’s face was still pale, but he drew himself up, steeling himself—but for what, Suki wasn’t sure. “I think Sokka and I need to talk.”

Katara nodded at him. “Good answer. You’re not off the hook yet.” Was that a hint of a threat in her tone? But what had Zuko done to offend Katara? They’d only met less than an hour ago. Something must have happened between him and Sokka that he’d written about in that journal. 

Katara turned to face all of them, a bright smile on her face. “Well, this is great. I’m so glad you guys could make it to the wedding!” She began to turn, but seemed to remember something. “And whatever you do, _don’t_ let Sokka see you.”

“Right.” Suki promised. “Oh, and congratulations!”

Katara smiled at her before hopping down the trapdoor to the ground floor of the dog-goat house. “Mattresses should be in the boxes on the left!”

* * *

Sokka woke the next morning blissfully ignorant. The birds were singing, the sun was shining, there was a gentle breeze breaking through the warm summer day. He whistled to himself as he got ready to start the day, going over everything in his head. Everything seemed to be in order: tables were going to be laid today, all the laundry rooms had been emptied, the food had been delivered. He took the steps down to the courtyard two at a time, and ran into Aang, who employed him in helping set up garlands around the island. It was easy work, but took ages, and Aang nearly dropped Sokka from his glider multiple times.

Only one thing was making Sokka feel uneasy: Katara was acting extremely strange. She kept ‘accidentally’ bumping into Aang and Sokka throughout the day, determined to keep them in her sights. Sokka didn’t know why she was acting like that, but it made him feel nervous. 

They finally lost her mid morning, putting up banners in the lobby of the hotel. Aang was hanging over the banister of the upstairs hallway, and Sokka was on a step ladder, together pinning string up to hang lanterns from.

“Oh, shoot,” Aang said, rummaging in his pockets. 

“What?” Sokka asked, looking up. 

“We’re out of clips.”

Sokka cursed. “Where did Ty Lee put them again?”

Aang scratched his head, still hanging upside down from his knees. “Not sure. Maybe check the old goat-dog house?”

“On it.”

And so Sokka found himself, for probably the seven hundredth time that week, walking through the courtyard to get something from storage.

He still hadn’t found his journal since he’d discovered it was missing yesterday afternoon, but it was the kind of morning that made all your problems seem less important, the sun shining its way into your mood. Sure, the journal had all those memories from that summer, but Sokka could still remember them like it was yesterday. Besides, how far could it have possibly gone? It would come to light eventually. He could worry about it later.

The goat-dog house was in a clearing in the woods, the sunlight filtering through the cracks in the branches and creating a tapestry of shade and light on the dusty ground. It had been abandoned years ago, but they still used it as spare storage whenever they needed it. Sokka let himself in with a massive keyring filled with about fifty keys that he always carried on his belt, the jingling of them disturbing the general silence of the woods.

He rummaged through a few boxes, eventually finding a handy drawstring cloth bag filled with extra clips that Ty Lee had put away. Sokka pushed the boxes back into place, then made to leave the building.

He was just opening the door to go out again, when there was a creak on floorboards above his head. 

He stopped in his tracks. Who would be here now? Hadn’t it been locked when Sokka arrived? 

It was Sokka’s business who was up there—come on, he owned the hotel—so he carefully climbed up the ladder, and held his breath before opening the trapdoor a crack to try and identify the intruders. 

There was the murmur of voices, and Sokka peered up, his eyes catching a glimpse of a wrist with a fan tattoo inked on it. _No._ He shut the trapdoor suddenly, shocked, his mind racing. _Could it be…?_ Hardly believing his eyes, he inched the trapdoor open again, his eyes catching on an intricate white braid fastened with a blue ribbon. Surely Sokka must have been dreaming. There was no way that Yue and Suki were in Sokka’s old goat-dog house, right before Katara’s wedding. He felt his eye begin to twitch. No, he couldn’t deal with this right now. 

But his traitorous hand lifted the trapdoor higher, and when Sokka caught sight of a faded red scar and golden brown eyes, he reeled back in surprise. Unfortunately, he’d forgotten that he was on a ladder. Sokka shouted in surprise as the step ladder tipped over and crashed to the floor, and he grabbed the ledge of the attic, hanging on for dear life. 

There was a clamour of noise in the attic, and in that split second Sokka considered his options. Either, let himself fall and most likely break bones, or pull himself up to the attic, with his three ex—somethings. (Flings, lovers, acquaintances? Well, acquaintance was a bit of a stretch.) Although the former sounded rather appealing, Sokka knew that Katara and Toph would never let him forget it if he injured himself willingly instead of facing them. So, he pulled himself up through the trapdoor and into the attic, resigning himself to his fate.

He stood, and looked up at the three of them. Yue was staring at him, open mouthed. Suki was grinning like it was all some massive joke, which in fairness was the most accurate description that Sokka could come up with for the scenario. And Zuko—Zuko just stared at him, with an expression that Sokka couldn’t read. Sokka felt himself rooted to the spot in his intense gaze, trying desperately to break away. 

Zuko looked away, and Sokka felt strangely angry that he hadn’t even let Sokka break eye contact first.

After a long silence in which the reality of the situation sunk in, Sokka spoke. “I better be dreaming—you better not be here.”

“Want me to pinch you?” Suki offered, and Sokka rolled his eyes. She clearly hadn’t changed. 

“Suki. Why is it that whenever there’s some kind of fiasco, you’re always present?” 

“All part of my charm,” She winked at him. Sokka shook his head at her, amused against his better judgement.

Yue stepped forwards. “You probably don’t recognise me,” She said, smiling tentatively.

“Yue,” Sokka said. “Gosh—it’s been so long.” It had, too. The last time Sokka and Yue had seen each other, they had been barely emerging from childhood, two naive souls who latched onto each other. Her hair had been barely past her shoulders then, but now the parts of her braided updo that hung loose reached her waist.

Sokka glanced at Zuko, then looked away, their mere eye contact reminding him of the present situation, and all nostalgia clouding his thoughts disappeared. “I—What are you all doing here?” He demanded. “You can’t be here, there’s a—“

“Wedding, we know,” Zuko finished for him. Sokka glared. 

“Yes, well, I happen to be in charge of this wedding, and I can’t be distracted. And—the hotel. Is full. The hotel is full, and you can’t stay in my goat-dog house. Yeah. So—you have to leave.” Sokka spoke rapidly. He caught Zuko’s eye again. He looked away, at _anything_ else. Yue’s face was mildly anxious, and Suki was studying him closely. 

“Wait—How did you even get in here?” Sokka asked suspiciously. 

“Uh—A local girl let us in,” Suki turned to the other two, looking for their agreement.

“Yes, a local girl,” Yue said quickly. “She said we could stay here.” She stopped with a thoughtful look on her face. “Or maybe she said we _couldn’t_ stay here...?”

“Yeah, that’s probably it,” Sokka said impatiently. “And while it’s been nice and strangely—disarming, seeing you all again, you can’t stay here.”

“I have a boat,” Suki offered. 

“A boat? Great, you can all take the boat. And leave.” This had to be some kind of practical joke. No way had Sokka’s luck gotten this bad. “Now—I have things to do, so…” Sokka trailed off. He had to get out of there. “Bye, I guess.”

And before he could embarrass himself any more than he already had, he turned on his heel, readying himself to hop down through the trapdoor. He’d just jumped down, and was about to go to the door, when a voice called him.

“Sokka?” He looked up, and all three of them were looking through the gap in the trapdoor at him. “It’s good to see you,” They said in unison, all in completely different tones.

Sokka nodded quickly, then took off. 

* * *

Sokka all but ran back to the hotel, his mind reeling. “‘Bye, I guess?’” He muttered to himself incredulously, running a hand through his hair. “‘Strangely disarming?’ My fucking _god.”_

He walked into the courtyard and immediately ran into Toph. 

“Oh, hey,” She said. “Did you end up getting those—“

“No time,” Sokka hissed, dragging her into the lobby. “We have a _big_ problem.”

“Ow, at least let go of my arm!” She said, batting him off, and following him. “What’s the matter?”

Sokka glanced around furtively. There didn’t seem to be anyone in the lobby. He lowered his voice. “Remember when I first came to the island?” 

Toph looked at him like he was an idiot. “Uh, yeah, Katara dragged us here because you were moping over that break up. What about it?”

“So,” Sokka started. “That summer, I was— _with_ three people, and—“

“Three people? Dude, you’ve got _game_. How come you never told me this?”

“That’s not the point,” Sokka snapped. “The point is, for some reason, all three of them are here, staying in my fucking goat-dog house, of all places.”

Toph stopped. “Here.”

“Yes,” Sokka said impatiently.

“On the island.”

“Yes.”

“Now?”

_“Yes!”_

“Well,” Toph clapped him on the shoulder. “You’ve either got the worst luck ever, or the best. Depends on how you go about this.”

“Come on, don’t joke. This is serious!” Sokka said. “It’s gonna ruin the wedding.”

“Did you tell them to leave?” 

“Obviously!”

“Well then,” Toph said. “Problem solved. You won’t ever have to see them again.”

“But—“

“Come on. If they really don’t leave, then I’ll kick them out. Challenge them to a duel in your honour, and all that. Happy?”

“Not really,” Sokka muttered. 

“Sounds like a you problem.”

Sokka ran a shaky hand through his hair, which was going to be ruined by the end of this. “Whatever happens, you _can’t_ tell Aang or Katara about this. I’m not gonna let this ruin their wedding.”

“Sure, whatever,” Toph waved an arm dismissively. “Now you haveto tell me about that summer.”

Sokka groaned, dragging a hand over his face. “There’s nothing to tell. I met Yue when I first left the south, we spent a few days together, then decided that we had different paths in life. Suki was the one who gave me a lift to the island when I first got here. Then Zuko…” He trailed off, lost in thought. 

“Ooh, this one’s gonna be good. What happened with him?”

Sokka blinked, his face hardening. “Zuko was new to the island, like me. I thought he loved me, but it turned out he was engaged to another girl back home. He left without saying goodbye.”

Toph let out a low whistle.

“Then Suki found me again, we had a casual thing for a few weeks, then she had to leave.” Sokka finished. “See why this is all so complicated now?”

Toph made a face. “But that doesn’t make sense. Why are they here, then?”

“That’s the thing--I don’t know. But it doesn’t really matter though, does it? Now that they’re leaving I don’t have to deal with this whole mess.”

Toph considered his words for a moment. “But, wouldn’t you be happier if you talked to them, sorted things out? Especially that Zuko guy, seems like there’s a lot of unresolved feelings there.”

Sokka thought for a moment. Did he want to see Zuko again? He remembered those weeks on the island with him, how relaxed and happy he felt waking up next to him in the early morning sun, those carefree days they spent wandering the island. But then he remembered finding out about the girl that Zuko had conveniently decided not to mention. He remembered the shouting, and the hurt, and waking up the next day to find that all of Zuko’s things were gone, along with the warm presence of another body in the bed beside him.

“No,” Sokka decided. “I never want to see him again.”

“Okay, your choice, man.” Toph paused. “By the way, what are you wearing for the party?”

* * *

Katara wandered throughout the hotel, nothing to do for the few hours before the party. Instead of having separate bachelor/bachelorette parties, she and Aang had decided to hold a joint one, with everyone who had arrived at the hotel so far. People were bustling around everywhere, all seeming to have something to do and a place to go. At one point, she bumped into Sokka, who was twitchy and nervous. _Probably the last minute preparations making him stressed,_ she thought. 

Katara ran into Ty Lee as well at one point, who was busy helping Aang hang lanterns up. He’d been at it all day, Katara knew because she had been shadowing Sokka, as to stop him from discovering the three in the goat-dog house. She’d been proud of herself for staying so inconspicuous, he hadn’t suspected a thing!

“Hey, Katara, do you mind passing me that bag of clips?” Ty Lee called from her spot on the step ladder. Katara tossed it to her, then leaned against the wall. 

“So, Ty Lee, bringing a plus-one to the wedding?”

Ty Lee nodded cheerfully. “Yep, my girlfriend’s coming to the island tomorrow.”

“That’s great! The more the merrier,” Katara said. Ty Lee was Aang’s friend he’d met in the Fire Nation a few years ago, and had volunteered to help out with the wedding. 

Just then, Aang swooped in the hotel door. “There you are,” He said to Ty Lee. “I was looking for Sokka, he promised he’d bring me those clips hours ago!”

“Oh, yeah,” Ty Lee frowned. “I caught him on his way out from the woods, he was acting really weird.”

Katara’s head snapped up. “The woods? He wasn’t in the old goat-dog house, was he?”

“Yeah,” Aang said, surprised. “How’d you guess?”

 _Shit. Shit, shit, shit._ “I have to go,” She said quickly, kissing Aang on the cheek. “I’ll see you at the party!”

Katara ran all the way to the woods, only to climb up to the attic of the goat-dog house to find it empty, no traces of anyone left behind. She nearly tore her hair out in frustration, but she could waste any time. She had to get to them before they left.

She took the cliff path down to where the boat had been docked before, to find Suki, Yue and Zuko packing their bags on the boat, and readying to leave. 

“Wait!” Katara called, running faster. She reached the end of the pier, and held up a hand, bending over to catch her breath. After a second, she straightened again. “You can’t leave!”

Zuko smiled ruefully. “Sokka’s made it pretty clear he doesn’t want us here.”

“Who cares?” Katara said, exasperatedly. “He does want to see you again, I read his journal for Tui and La’s sake! I didn’t suffer through pages and pages of that only for you guys to leave the moment Sokka throws a hissy fit.”

Suki laughed. “Listen. I think you’ve got the right idea, but Zuko’s right. Sokka doesn’t want us here. So what reason do we have to stay?”

Katara planted her hands on her hips. “This isn’t about Sokka anymore. It’s _my_ wedding, and _I_ invited you. Sokka can just deal with it.”

“She has a point,” Yue said, speaking up. “He can’t really uninvite us from someone else’s wedding.”

Zuko sighed. “We can’t stay in the goat-dog house or the hotel.”

“So stay on my boat,” Suki said suddenly. “There’s enough room for all of us, why not?”

Zuko raised his eyebrows. “I don’t really have a choice, do I?”

“Nope!” Katara said cheerily, and then she had a thought. “Oh, I almost forgot. Aang and I are throwing a joint bachelor-slash-bachelorette party for all the guests. You’re welcome to come if you want!”

“Ooh, that sounds nice!” Yue said, turning to the others. “I’ll go if you guys do.”

“I’m not going to pass up a chance at a party,” Suki agreed. “And I’ll drag gloomy here by his ear to it if I have to.”

Zuko heaved another long suffering sigh. 

“Sokka will be there…” Katara sang. 

“Oh, well, that makes me feel so much better.”

“Anyway, I’ve gotta run and get ready.” Katara wondered how Sokka would react when he saw that the others had come to the party. Her optimistic side hoped for a tearful reunion followed by reconciliation, but her more realistic side sensed the oncoming catastrophe. Oh, well, she couldn’t back out now.

“I’ll see you there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmm so... some shit’s about to go down at the party... stay tuned
> 
> (also for anyone wondering, i don’t have a specific updating schedule, just writing when i have the time.)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The joint Bachelor/Bachelorette party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a warning: this chapter does contain characters drinking alcohol. all of the characters are of age, at least where I'm from.

The rest of the afternoon passed for Sokka in a haze of barely concealed stress. At some point, Toph made him go back to his room, saying that _“You’ll go into some sort of fucking stress coma if you’re not careful, and then what will I tell the others?”_

So that was how Sokka found himself, lying on his bed and staring at the ceiling. Pretty cliche, right?

Anyway. No matter how much he tried to _not_ think about what had happened earlier, his mind kept wandering back. Back to Zuko’s intense gaze when he finally met his eyes, the way that Sokka had been trapped, just frozen to the spot. Even after all this time, Sokka still couldn’t help but feel a longing for him, a feeling he couldn’t get rid of, almost like a string pulling him to wherever Zuko was.

He turned onto his side, and pushed a pillow on top of his head, trying to drown out his thoughts. No. Zuko was gone now, and so were the others. There was no point dwelling on it now, it would just distract him. He was supposed to be enjoying himself, it was his sister’s wedding, for Tui and La’s sake!

He sighed, turning back onto his back. It was just all so _confusing._ Suki seemed pretty happy to just continue as friends, but Sokka wasn’t sure. And Yue, Sokka had really loved her back then, but he didn’t think he loved her that way any more. And Zuko. All those ugly feelings that Sokka had pushed deep down and tried to forget ever since he had left we’re bound to resurface. He closed his eyes. This was too complicated. 

He dressed for the party reluctantly, shrugging on a hawaiian shirt that was at the back of his wardrobe open over a tank top, and re-tying his hair. Summer on Kyoshi was always warm, so he didn’t need to bother with a jacket. Then, he took a deep breath before leaving his room. It was fine. The three of them were gone, so there wasn’t a chance for more problems. He just had to enjoy the party, and pretend that whole morning had never happened. 

He found Toph quickly, pulling her aside. “Did you check the goat-dog house?”

She nodded, then said under her breath: “No sign of any of them. I can’t sense them on the island anywhere.”

Sokka breathed out a sigh of relief. “Okay. Okay! Great. Now I don’t have to worry about it.”

“Right, but—are _you_ okay?” Toph grabbed his arm before he could walk off again. “Your heart’s going like crazy. No one’s gonna blame you if you take the evening off. I can cover for you.”

“I’m _fine,”_ He said to her, brushing her arm off. “Now, let’s go, we’re gonna be late to the party.”

Toph gave him a searching look. “Alright,” She finally said, sounding unconvinced.

* * *

The party was already in full swing by the time that Sokka and Toph arrived, the entire courtyard lit up with the lanterns Aang had slaved over, and the tables stacked with plates of food and glasses of assorted cocktails had been pushed to the edges, to make room for dancing. Massive stereo speakers played song after song, and the courtyard was alive with the noise of people talking and laughing. 

Sokka felt himself begin to relax. Finally. Some normalcy. 

“Hey, Sokka!” Aang waved him over. Toph had said something about the speakers, patting his shoulder and splitting off at the entrance. Sokka plucked a glass of something pink coloured from a table as he walked over to Aang. “Bets on how many drinks Toph goes through before she starts trying to have fights?”

Sokka scoffed. “Bold of you to assume she won’t outright start fighting people sober.”

Aang laughed, and just then, Katara descended upon them, in a floaty purple dress. “What’s so funny?” She asked, leaning her elbow on Aang’s shoulder. 

“Oh, just placing bets on how many drinks in Toph will be before starting a fight.”

“Sober,” Katara said automatically.

Sokka pointed at her mid-sip, and swallowed. “This is why we get along.” He said. Just then, the music changed to a fast paced dance number, making everyone cheer and filter on to the dance floor. Sokka grabbed Katara’s hand. “Come on, sister mine,” He said. “Let’s dance.”

He dragged her laughing out into the middle of the courtyard, the lights shining on them as Sokka spun Katara around and around. The sun was setting now, and someone had switched on the coloured spotlights that Haru had set up, effectively converting the courtyard into a disco floor.

The crowd jumped up and down to the heavy bass of the song, and Sokka leaned over to shout to Katara over the music. “You ready for tomorrow?”

Katara snorted. “No,” She said. “But I will be.”

Sokka nodded in understanding. “Where’s Dad and Bato?” He asked. 

Katara shrugged at him. “Probably decided not to come,” She shouted back. 

Sokka gasped, mock offended. “How dare they? I spent _weeks_ planning this.”

Katara rolled her eyes at his antics, and Sokka started to say something, before catching sight of something over her shoulder.

Suki, Yue and Zuko, walking through the gates and into the courtyard. Sokka’s smile faded. 

Suki was sporting denim shorts and a strappy top paired with a leather jacket slung over one shoulder, Yue had on a blue sundress, and Zuko was wearing—jeans. Of course he was wearing jeans, on one of the hottest days of the year. Why did everything Zuko did have to irritate Sokka?

“What’s wrong?” Katara shouted over the music. Sokka tore his eyes away, and plastered a smile on his face. 

“Nothing,” He said, shaking his head. “Just remembered that I have to ask Toph something. I’ll see you later.”

Katara shrugged at him, and just then Ty Lee bounded on the dance floor, immediately beginning to talk rapidly at Katara. Sokka slipped away from the crowd, eyes searching for Toph. 

He found her easily at the bar—they’d both worn hawaiian shirts to coordinate, Sokka wearing blue and Toph wearing green—in deep conversation with the bartender. He tapped her on the shoulder, and she turned. 

“What’s up?” She asked.

“Code red.” Sokka said under his breath, hoping his tone would communicate the severity of the situation. 

“What’s a code—” She stopped. “Oh.” Her eyes widened in understanding.

“Yeah.” Sokka pinched the bridge of his nose. “Oh.”

“Alright,” She downed her drink, then hopped down from her chair. She cracked her knuckles. “Who are we fighting first?” (Aang had been right, then. Not that Sokka would tell him that.) 

“What? Toph—you can’t _fight_ them!”

“Well, what’s your suggestion?” She retorted, crossing her arms.

Sokka scratched his head. “We can’t make a scene, otherwise Katara will find out, and most likely kill me. So that crosses off forcing them to go.” He sighed. “I think our best option is just to keep them out of the spotlight, so that Katara doesn’t notice them.”

“Got it.” Toph said. “You take the two girls, I’ll distract Zuko.”

That made things easier for Sokka, at least. “Okay. We can meet each other later, see how it’s going.”

With that, they split off in opposite directions; Sokka going to find Suki and Yue, and Toph going to find Zuko. Sokka spotted Suki over by one of the tables lining the perimeter of the square, and took a deep breath. It was just Suki. Out of the three of them, this was bound to be the least awkward. 

She spotted him almost immediately, and walked over, her high heels clicking on the stone. “Well, well, well,” She remarked. “The man himself. If I didn’t know you better I’d think you were avoiding me.”

Sokka laughed, half nervously. “So,” He said. “You gonna tell me why you’re at my sister’s wedding, three years after the last time we saw each other?”

Suki shook her head. “If I didn’t have an air of mystery, I’d lose half the intrigue.” _Huh._ So had they party crashed? Or had someone else invited them? 

“Okay…Any reason you arrived with my exes?” He eyed her closely for her response. She didn’t seem to be surprised, taking a nonchalant sip of her drink, so either the three of them had come clean to each other, or she’d just figured it out. 

“Well, that’s not a hard one,” Suki said, looking out on the crowd. “Chance. Yue and Pretty boy missed the ferry to the island, so I gave them a lift.

Sokka choked on his drink. _“Pretty boy?”_

“Yeah,” Suki said, cutting amused kohl-lined eyes to him. “He’s hot, if you’re into that kind of vibe. I know _you_ are, I’ve seen the way you look at him.” Sokka’s face heated up, but before he could respond, Suki set her drink down, and pulled him onto the edge of the dance floor. “Come on,” She said, beckoning him over. Sokka relented, letting her drag him over.

“So, what do you think of the hotel?” He asked her over the music, dancing to the beat of the song. It was the kind of dancing one did without thinking, just moving to the music facing your partner, not really thinking about it.

Suki looked around at the courtyard. “I like what you’ve done with it,” She shouted. “The colours are pretty.”

“Thanks,” Sokka shouted back, touched. 

Suki spotted something over his shoulder. “Oh—and I think that’s my cue to leave,” She said, her red lips curving into a smile. “It was great to catch up, we should talk again after all this craziness.” She patted his shoulder, and sashayed off, ever cool and collected.

Sokka turned, confused. First he caught sight of Toph across the dance floor, who was waving her hand over her neck, miming cutting her throat, with an expression of horror. The typical ‘Abort’ gesture. Or maybe she meant ‘You’re screwed’. Sokka pondered that for a moment, before a throat was cleared behind him, and Sokka turned, meeting a pair of golden brown eyes. Zuko. _Fuck._

Sokka’s lips parted in surprise, and he just _stared._ Stared into those stupidly pretty eyes that always managed to catch him off guard, stared into the face that he’d seen a thousand times in his dreams.

Zuko seemed to be having similar problems, rooted to the spot. And he was standing close, too close. Close enough that if, in different circumstances, Sokka would be able to just lean over and—

 _Fuck, he’d looked at Zuko’s lips._ Just the quickest dart of his gaze down to Zuko’s mouth, then back up to his eyes when he realised what he’d done. Zuko had definitely seen that. _Fuck._

As if it couldn’t take anymore of this, the seized hold that Sokka’s body had over him relented, and Sokka blinked, shutting his mouth. 

The spell was broken.

“Zuko.” He said shortly. 

“Sokka,” Zuko said, swallowing. 

More than the anger, more than the sadness, Sokka was just exhausted from this whole debacle. “What are you doing here?” He said tiredly. “You’re the one who left before, why are you back now?”

“I—“ Zuko began. He stopped. “I just—wanted to see you again.” His tone was painfully earnest, and Sokka’s heart broke. 

But Sokka’s heart had been broken too many times by Zuko, and this time he wasn’t backing down.

Sokka felt his face heat up, and his blood boiled, anger easily and quickly arriving. “No. No, you don’t get to come here and say that.” He said, his voice rising. “You’re not allowed to _leave_ and come back like nothing’s happened—just because you want to _see me._ That’s not how this works.” Sokka pushed a finger at Zuko’s chest. “You’re the one who left, you made that decision. Not me, _you._ None of this is fair to me, and you know it.”

Zuko kept staring at him, his expression unreadable.

“Do you know how I felt after all of that? Did you even _consider_ my feelings? First you didn’t tell me you were engaged, and then when I found out you _left?”_ He stopped for breath. Waiting expectantly. 

Sokka wanted Zuko to argue back, to start shouting. _Anything._ But Zuko just looked at him, and took everything Sokka said. 

“Well?” Sokka demanded. “Haven’t you got anything to say?”

Zuko seemed to struggle with himself for a minute, before sighing in defeat. “I’m sorry,” He said quietly.

Sokka scoffed. “Yeah, that really helps.” Seeing as Zuko didn't seem to have anything more to say, Sokka turned on his heel, and walked over to the opposite side of the courtyard, his eyes burning. He yanked up a drink from the nearest table, and scowled, leaning against it. 

How dare Zuko come here and expect to be welcomed back with open arms? Sokka took another swig of his cocktail, but now it tasted sickly, sticking to his tongue. How dare Zuko think that things could go back to normal?

The fight didn’t seem to have disturbed the party at all, everyone had continued dancing and laughing, but now the lights seemed overly bright and headache inducing, the music too loud and jarring. Sokka’s anger simmered, and he could feel a sour mood coming upon him. he spent a little while just standing there, watching the party from the outside, stewing. Katara and Aang were in the center of the crowd, arms around each other, swaying and smiling at each other like they were in their own little world. 

There was a hand on Sokka’s shoulder, and he whipped around, to find Yue looking at him. “Yue,” He said, surprised. “Hi.”

Yue had a strange expression on her face. “Hi,” She said shortly. “I just—“ She stopped, frustrated, looking away. “I—“

“What?” Sokka asked. 

Yue met his eyes again, and Sokka stared at her questioningly. She looked uncharacteristically vulnerable. Then, without any warning, Yue surged forwards, grabbing the back of Sokka’s head, and before Sokka knew what was happening, pressed her lips to his.

Sokka made a noise of surprise, and Yue pulled back as quickly as she had gone in. 

“I’m sorry,” She said, grimacing. “I just had to—sorry.” Then she was gone, running off into the crowd. 

Sokka touched his lips, baffled. 

He set his drink down. There had been too many shocks already. His head suddenly felt heavy, like a bowling ball balanced precariously on his shoulders, and his heart was pounding quicker and quicker. He half-stumbled onto the dance floor, where the crowd had started a sort of square dance, and Sokka found himself pushed further and further in. He accidentally locked eyes with Zuko again and as he looked away. Found that he had been pushed into the middle of the dance. There were faces flashing past him as they danced faster and faster. Katara, Aang, Suki, Yue. His head whipped back and forth, trying to focus on one person, but they were moving too fast. He heard someone’s voice call out to him. But it sounded strange, like it was under water. 

He turned, and saw Toph standing there. But there wasn’t just Toph. There was—two of her? Three? Sokka wasn’t sure. 

Toph was talking. How long had she been talking? Her face looked concerned. Sokka probably should have been listening to whatever she was saying. The dancing around them sped up as the music swelled, and Sokka's head began to pound. 

Sokka felt himself begin to sway. _Wow, he was fucked._

That was the last thing he thought before he hit the ground. 

Then, everything went black. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah so um... that happened. 
> 
> also! i forgot to say, but you can find me on tumblr: @theboilingrock
> 
> leave a comment or kudos if you enjoyed! these fuel me to keep writing <3

**Author's Note:**

> a few notes:
> 
> 1) this is not set in canon, obviously. it’s more of a modern take on the atla world, and i’m thinking all of the nations will be some sort of democracy, the earth kingdom having an earth king but also a prime minister. as for the fire nation, i think i’m going to have it as a democracy, maybe a council, because having a fire lord wouldn’t work in this AU.
> 
> 2) as this isn’t set in canon, there was no air nation genocide, so there will be air nation side characters. also there isn’t an avatar in this au, aang is just an airbender
> 
> 3) the ‘summer’ that is mentioned will be detailed later on
> 
> 4) in case anyone is confused on the roles that each character is, these are the loosely based ones i’m going for:
> 
> Sokka (21) - Donna  
> Zuko (22) - Sam  
> Suki (21) - Bill  
> Yue (22)- Harry
> 
> Katara (20)- Sophie  
> Aang (19) - Sky  
> Toph (19) - Tanya/Rosie
> 
> The rest of the characters are in their own box, as this is based off mamma mia, not an exact copy. 
> 
> 5) tags will be updated as the story progresses
> 
> leave a comment or kudos if you enjoyed! these motivate me to keep writing <3
> 
> thanks for reading!


End file.
